Tell us about your worst wedding experiences?

[ENormaSnob]

Inspired by diamondsonthesoleofhershoes thread in aibu.

The worst wedding I have ever attended was an attempt at a big traditional wedding done on a tiny budget. Freezing cold room, luke warm daytime buffet with 2 choices served on paper plates that bent when the food hit them, no drinks at all, not even a toast after the speeches. There was a pay bar which is fine with me but not even one glass of wine with the meal seems mean. The night buffet was worse than the daytime one, a few plates of dry sarnies and 2 plates of mummified chicken. No pudding of any description throughout the whole day I was cold and hungry all day. The bride had told me before hand that most of their budget had gone on outfits for the wedding party and the cars. Cars which no one saw anyway On a positive note, the drinks weren't extortionate like they are in some places.

I am not a fussy cow btw, my ideal wedding as a guest would be a village hall type of affair with everyone bringing a plate and a bottle.

A couple of my husband's relatives came to the sit down and the evening, but not the service!! I know he has been married before but I was a bit taken aback!

church too full, reception venue too full, bar really packed so not enough to drink, bf-ing DC1 in car in car park trying to hide from pissed & curious smokers, DH got food poisoning from dinner, but the sun shone and they're a lovely couple . AND had plenty of lovely nibbles during photos ... swings and roundabouts!

Anste, one of my best mates flew to Arizona for an old college friend's wedding (mate is from Arizona). She had to pay for her flight, dress, shoes, hotel, and, adding insult to injury, the reception started at 4pm and ended at 8pm. She was raging and went on the piss with the other BMs.

The worst wedding I have been to? DP's brothers. Catholic ceremony, so I was very careful to wear a below-knee skirt and cover my shoulders. All of the females on the bride's side showed up in skin tight dresses, with cut-outs, navel-grazing necklines and arse hugging hems. Plus, the bride and grooms families disliked each-other and didn't speak at all on the day. Nice and tense.

At the reception, the guests were left to fend for themselves, while the bride and groom spent two hours having photos taken (wedding at 1, over at 2, so by now it was 4). Then they arrived for family photos (another hour). During this time, guests were enjoying the 'reception' - tea and biccies, which were gone by the time we got there.

Dinner was about 3 hours later - the 'top' table had steak, the rest of us had a sad turkey dinner. No starter, no desert (again, the 'top' table had these). Then time for the toasts. Top table had Champagne, none of the rest of us did (was full pay bar for the whole day). Then band and DJ - I spent the whole night dragging people out to dance, as I felt bad for DP's brother and his wife that no-one was dancing.

Next morning - DP's brother and his wife moaning about how shit it was. Then bragging that they got so much money as gifts (obviously went back to their Honeymoon Suite and counted it all) that it paid for the wedding. Then bitching that some people bought household items for them, because 'they are already living together, why would they want toasters, duvets and shit'? Charming.

DS1's wedding - the groom got blind drunk. Reception was at my parents' and the bride and groom never managed to get back to their honeymoon suite as my BIL was outside throwing up in the garden. My sister shared a bed with my mum on her wedding night. They are now happily divorced :o

DS3's wedding - she and I have ishoos, but I flew back (my family is abroad) for her wedding. I then found out she had gone out of her way (many guests passed comments) to sit me away from my other sisters, who I love and obviously don't see often, and at a table where the youngest other guests were 70. The top table were served wine with dinner but not the rest of us. She had a go at my mother for talking to me. Other than that the B and G never ackowledged my presence.

Prima - you're talking about your sisters here, right? Not your sons? Just to make absolutely sure...

One of dh's close friends, had been an usher at our wedding. Bride disliked us (no idea why) so we got an invite to the evening do only, though still received a naff rhyming request for money for their ' wishing well'
When we got there the bride went out of her way to ignore us, even when we tried to congratulate her, but her very nice husband made a real effort to chat and looked a bit embarrassed.

We feel a bit sorry for him nowadays. He's hardly ever allowed off the leash out and the friends who do still see him describe him as being rather cowed :(

Ooops, yes I meant my DSis1 and 3!!! Not my sons! That's what happens when you post at 3 am!

DH's cousin's wedding. We were sat on a table with the best man's parents and the best man's wife's parents (although she wasn't actually there). The two men were fairly senior police officers. Wouldn't initiate a conversation with us, would only talk to each other about police issues especially how much crime immigrants committed and how the BNP had the right idea. And how all the ps and n*s should be locked up as it's just 'in their nature' apparently. I explained that I thought their views were disgustingly racist and was told that a girl like me couldn't possibly understand. I seriously thought about going to the PCC about them.

Went to a wedding that was initially great until later on. Virtually all of the guests were either very elderly or had very small children - apart from us. Naturally at about 9/10pm people started to leave taking toddlers with them. G and G (civil partnership) alternated between furious and upset that everyone was leaving "early". Some closest friends and family hung onto 11am in spite of having small children with them or being very elderly and obviously flagging. We felt obliged to stay.

So from 10pm we were in a large room with a disco and about 10 guests with a couple of very very tired children and from about 11-12.30pm it was just me, DP and the G&G. The whole 2.5 hours the G& G bitched and got upset at the unsupportive guests! It was awful. They had booked the room and dj until 2am and had expected everyone to carry on partying until then. Fine if they had invited a load of young child free guests - but really! We weren't even close to them, but we felt obliged to stay until they wanted to go as we had no valid excuse to leave earlier.

We did try to say gently why guests might have left earlier, but soon shut up from the reaction we got.

Oh Mamma, how hideous.

Vivi - yes he got a divorce and now they're properly married more's the pity and as far as I know her family never found out.

Not my second wedding twenty years ago, but the previous one.

I was 12 weeks pregnant.

We werent going away for a week or more after, so stayed at home. I started miscarrying in the pub, and went home. He didnt join me as we had guests.

When he got home, he told me he had agreed with his sister that his 12 year old neice could stay for a week so she could have a holiday.

I went to bed furious and distraught, still bleeding (missed abortion- ie fetus didnt come out, it transpired). There was fucking rice in the bed and I had to clear it out to get my sorry beelding self into bed. He came up a few hours later.

What a swine. Didnt last long.

I hate receptions where the food is on trays being carried around by waiters I find unless I stand next to the kitchen, I miss all the good food :( I call such events "floating receptions", and if I know in advance I simply don't attend (unless its close family- but then I know I'll be invited to the dinner so that is ok).

Ugh. We went to a wedding where the reception was held at the brides parents lovely house in the middle of nowhere. We'd been assured that there would be transport to the nearest town and from there we'd sort ourselves out - no problem. BTW, the drinks at the wedding were absolutely foul, has anyone heard of Pol Remy? It's a 99p fizzy wine that tastes disgusting and was the 'star of the show'.

Cue going home time, we get ourselves into the car provided and believe that as mentioned, we're heading to the nearby town. Taxi driver then told us that he'd only been authorised to take guests to a nearby village (where getting a further cab would be nigh on impossible at 1am)! We talked him round thankfully and he took us the to town where we were able to get a further cab and make our way to our hotel. Just ridiculous.

The rest of the weddings I've been to were thoroughly enjoyable. I always take some snacks with me for DD, DH and I. We have two more wedding this year and as I'm currently 24 wks pg with DS1, I shall ensure to have PLENTY to eat and drink with me!

Worst wedding ever=DH's cousin's wedding, where DD was a bridesmaid.

It just started off badly and didn't improve, really. It was at 1, but I had to take DD round to cousin's house at 10, which I thought was excessive. I thought I could dump and run, but the bride and her older helpers had no intention of watching DD (then 9) and insisted I stayed. DD was also a very tall 9yo and made to wear a very wide-skirted flower girl dress, which she didn't like and looked ridiculous in. I put my foot down over paying anything towards it.

DD had to get into her daft dress straight away, because they were doing those tacky "getting ready" shots with the photographer, and wanted some with the younger bridesmaids gazing admiringly at the bride. DD was not allowed anything to eat, and was only allowed water, in case she made a mess. She was in an absolutely foul mood. Bride didn't seem to realise that 9yos can feed themselves competently and drink out of cups normally.

The ceremony was all right, nothing special, although I was in a crap mood from having spent most of the morning minding a moody DD. The reception was dominated by photography - everyone was shunted around, shouted at and generally harangued while a never-ending stream of faux-natural pictures were taken. Dinner came at about 5, and it was crap. The bride and groom had been bragging about how it was £60 per head, angling for expensive presents. I'll just say, if I'd have paid £60 for a crap roast dinner and cheap wine in a restaurant, I would have sent it back.

Bride kept disappearing throughout the evening do, for more photos and to have her makeup redone. Bride and groom both disappeared for quite a long time at one point. They did a choreographed first dance which was rubbish, because neither of them can dance, at all. They were proud of the fact that they had under-catered at the evening do to save money, so all DH and I got was a bit of bread and some dodgy old cheese. Most of the buffet food was pork-based, so we couldn't eat it anyway.

DH and I were fighting over who got to take DD home to her granny's after the first dance!

Worst wedding ever= sil wedding.
Hot summer all family including mil heaped into a mini van on the motorway to sil county where wedding was taking place: that bit was hell in itself was hell!!!

Anyway we get there hotel had booked us top floor by mistake!!
We had to carry all our cases, travel cot, pram and little baby up stairs as fil wouldnt let me leave pram in van!
My dh pissed of for two hours to have drink with groom-to-be and bestman & fil and other family members-taking the hotel key leaving me alone with 2 kids in a place id never been before with no milk, or drinks of any kind-couldnt leave room as he'd took key & all money by mistake!!
Dh got back after id showerd, dressed and got both children ready!
Had to drag my pram downstairs along with changing bag and a baby whilst he carryied nothing
Anyway we got to the wedding ceromony which in itself was ok but poor sil dress nearly revealed her entire left boob (big girl) i was told by family ILs not to tell her, everyone had to stand around for what seemed like an hour whilst they cleared the chairs for reception (in same room!!) and took endless photos of bride still with her boob nearly out -i felt so bad for her.
My other sil had to stand for an hour heavily preggers whilst mil was the only one offered a seat whilst they set out tables and food.
No one had allocated me at seat! So i stood up whilst everyone was seated with baby in pram! Dh was sat at a table with mil, fil, sil, her kids, my eldest, 2 dhs cousins with their gfs to which i said where is my seat or dont i belong in this family to which dh says calm down and gets me a chair, mil just laughs at me.
After food we had to wait another hour whilst they cleared chairs for dancing, kids were bored by this point and wanted to go to hotel along with preggo sil whom had enough of standing on her feet! We left with bride sil dancing with groom with boob still the same way .
The drinks were awful there too, cost a bomb and only cider and pimms were available!!

Many aspects of mine and DH's wedding could probs have been improved - from the point of view of guests and us. There are people who will never forgive us for having it in England (although we live here permanently.)

I really grasp what one of the posters said above: most brides have never done this before and don't know what's likely to go wrong/right. I do also agree that most people don't set out to cause discomfort to their guests! So- my inclination is generally give the benefit of the doubt!!!

As a Yank I will probs never come round to the evening only invites...esp after the one I've been to...but I know I'm in the minority. But please if you do do this brides lay on some proper food and provide some drinks! Honestly - if all you're willing to cough up for people included in this part of the day is a cash bar and bacon sarnie I think you need to rethink whether it's that important to you that they're there...

I was once at a wedding were I was sat next to a couple and the woman clearly had ishooos. When the food was served she made a huge fuss and started crying and saying that 'everyone was watching her'.

I quietly assured her that no one was as ermmm no one was until she started crying and she insisted that the waiters set up a table in the kitchen so she could eat in there. Our table was a bit quiet after that.

Same wedding, three little bridesmaids and one older at about nine years old. Bride notices that nine year old bridemaids hair ribbon was falling out and asked if I would retie it (bride had hands full of bouquet and champagne). I bent down to do this and the bridemaids mother came storming over, snatched it out of my hand and hissed right in my face "Do you know what you are doing?".

Well I was going to tie a ribbon........................ I have heard of a Bridezilla but The Mother of the Bridesmaidzilla is a new one.

Not yet, but I may well be encountering one this time next year.

D bro is getting married, in a barn, in Wales. Stunning location etc, all great.......except here's hired the entire fucking campsite.

We?re expected to camp.

We ave no tents.

It's in the middle of nowhere.

We're none drivers.......I'll be back with updates !!

it's ere btw

Sounds like my ideal wedding, Apocalypse. At least you have time to get/arrange everything you need :)

Camping!! At a wedding? UGH! Get a hotel room, quickly.

Most brides have never done this before, but most brides have been to other weddings before - I was 28 and the first of my school friends to get married, but I had still been to maybe five or six weddings before our own and had made at least mental notes of what worked and what didn't.

I think some people are so much into it being a chance to show off, it being their Big Day and bugger anyone else, and there lies the problem.